Equality and Prejudice on the Big Screen

It was a marketing class in the mid 80's that pointed out to me for the first time how minorities and women are portrayed and marketed to in the media. You know, phallic shaped deodorant and household cleaning supplies...

But, would a Jew make a comedy about the Holocaust or a Rwandan about genocide in Rwanda? What kind of person would write such a screenplay and would a movie like that even make it out of the cutting room? Is it just an American thing?

Are movie producers - it's undisputed they are largely white males, responsible for political correctness and accurate representation of minority populations? And finally - and this is a whopper...

Why would actors participate in perpetuating offensive stereotypes, no matter how much the paycheck is for?

I recently attended a Northeast PA Diversity Consortium (NEPDEC) presentation by the Race Doctor, Frederick Gooding. He is the co-founder of The Minority Reporter, author of You Mean Theres Race in My Movie? book and docuDVD. After practicing as a civil litigation attorney in California, Gooding decided to take his quest for social justice from the courtroom to the classroom. He is a very personable, easy to talk to, engaging, intelligent speaker with an awe inspiring mental cinematic repertoire. I think he might have an IMDb chip implanted.

What do you think? Do minority actors have a responsibility to not accept demeaning roles, is it the responsibility of the movie industry to self-police for the good of humanity, or is the good doctor prescribing hypochondria?

One thing is true. Attend one of Gooding's presentations and your popcorn will never be the same.